Former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland made his return at Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view, following ‘Hangman’ Adam Page losing the World Title to Samoa Joe in a Steel Cage Match.
Below is an excerpt from Alex Kahrs’ AEW Full Gear recap of how it all went down.
Page attacks the cut on Joe’s head to fend him off, climbing up even higher before Joe looks for an avalanche muscle buster…only to be knocked off by the champ. We see Katsuyori Shibata coming to the cage, climbing up the side to intervene…but Eddie Kingston pulls him down to keep him at bay! This is followed by the arrival of Powerhouse Hobbs who levels Kingston, before basically ripping the lock off the cage door.
He is fended off by Page, but not before the ref gets knocked down as Joe goes for a Coquina Clutch…only for the champ to counter into a Dead Eye! Cover by Page, but the ref is still out as HOOK comes down to the ring to try and wake up the ref. When the ref is slow to get up, HOOK grabs the World Title…and nails the Hangman with it! He leaves the ring as Joe grabs Page for a Muscle Buster and the win to become the new AEW World Champion!
After the match, the cage is raised up as Joe’s group of Dojo students applaud the new champion. The lights in the Prudential Center go out, as new music hits for the return of Swerve Strickland. Strickland fought off Joe’s students, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata, and Hook.
On Saturday Fightful Select reported that Strickland was set to return in December. He has been out of action since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus this past August.
*Other notable title changes that took place at PPV, was Mark Briscoe defeating Kyle Fletcher to become the new TNT Champion and FTR defeating Brodido for the World Tag Team Titles*